Poncho Sanchez@Vitello’s 11.18.11
By George W. Harris

One of the few places in The Valley that still serves up jazz piping
hot, Vitello’s Restaurant delivered a feast of picante jazz with Poncho
Sanchez’s sizzling band this cool Fall evening. Highlighting material
from his bebopping tribute cd to Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo,
Sanchez got everyone in the right mood by first cruising the boulevard
with “Silver’s Serenade” which featured Bill Cunliffe’s impeccably
percussive piano. Going from congas to cowbell and gourd in seconds
flat, Sanchez turned up the heat by singing on “I Don’t Know” and “Spa”
making the rhtyhm section sound like a souped up 68 Mustang on
Sepulveda Blvd, with Ron Blake’s trumpet as sharp as the fins on a 62
Caddy. The mix of “Manteca,” “Tin Tin Teo” and “Guachi Guaro” as well
as “Con Alma” had the horns of Hardt, Rob Hardt/ts and Francisco Torres
melding together like Mojado sauce dripping over a burrito, while Joey
De Leon’s timbales on “Groovin’ High” sauntered like a lowrider on
Saturday night. By the time the band got to a Memphis souled take of
“Raise Your Hands” the audience started dancing in the aisles, no small
feat for the uber cool Angelenos. Sanchez, who just turned 60, still
represents the best of LA’s music. Bar none.